


Thin Line

by emeraldsword



Category: The Departed (2006)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-02
Updated: 2007-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-06 12:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1106629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldsword/pseuds/emeraldsword
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An insight into Madolyn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thin Line

**Author's Note:**

> Lines in italics are paraphrased from the film (my memory’s not good enough to make them exact, I don’t have the DVD and imdb doesn’t have the quotations I need!)

Madolyn sat quite still, looking at the thin blue line on the pregnancy test. She had known, really, of course. Impossible not to. The only question was, what to do now? Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself back together, disposed of the evidence and stared again at the pages of her diary, thinking of the night that Billy had come to her, panicking and vulnerable.

_Why do people lie, do you think?_  
I think some people lie to...to keep things simple, to avoid causing problems.  
Is that why you lie? 

She didn't really think of herself as having cheated on him, as such, though she was sure that he wouldn't see it that way if he ever found out. She'd only slept with Billy once, after all, and they hadn't been dating exactly. She had been exploring her options, that’s all. One last fling before settling down. A bit of comfort for a vulnerable man. It wouldn’t happen again, with Billy or with anyone but Colin.

Madolyn became a psychiatrist because she had always been a liar. She had thought it would teach her why. It did and it didn't. It did teach her to lie better.

_Do you want to talk about last night?_  
No. No, I don't.  
It happens to a lot of men, you know. It's not that big a deal.  
I'm going to work. 

OK, first things first. Doctors. A scan. Exactly how far along is she? Not that it really matters, of course. The baby is Colin's, whatever biology says. If she's keeping it. Madolyn looks at herself in the mirror, meeting her own eyes without hesitation. Stay with Colin, have a baby. Or maybe the other way round. Or maybe, don't stay.

She looked at the doctor impassively.  
"Are you sure?" she asked, years of practice keeping her voice calm.  
"As sure as we can be," she said cheerfully.  
"Thank you." Billy's, then. Probably. Madolyn stood up, gathering her things and thanked the doctor brightly. She left the room slowly, the ultrasound carefully tucked into the inside pocket of her bag, thinking of her options.  
'You've got to choose,' she'd told Billy that night as he watched her packing her bags, and he’d agreed, yes, you had to choose. And she’d chosen to grow up, settle down, move in with the boyfriend. Somehow, she seemed to be choosing to have a baby as well. A baby boy. Really, if she was keeping it, she ought to tell Colin now.

_Open it._  
What is it?  
Open it.  
Really?  
And this little blob here is a penis.  
A boy? Oh my God! 

She ignored Colin at Billy's funeral. He tried to talk to her afterwards, about the baby, but she had no interest in hearing any more of his lies.

She didn't go to Colin's funeral.

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2007 for the 40 fandoms in 40 days Lent challenge over on Livejournal.


End file.
